The Rights of Conflict Victims

It was words of freedom that were being spoken last night in Vanadzor’s Jazz Café, on December 14th, 2017. Beautifully wrapped into a theatre play, Eva Jašková, EVS volunteer at Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office, addressed the right to freedom of opinion and expression by incorporating texts of imprisoned writers Tal Al-Mallouhi (Syria), Faraj Ahmad Birqdar (Syria) and Sepideh Jodeyri (Iran) into Jack London’s renowned novel Star Rover and created an outstanding performance, raising awareness about the issue of prisoners of conscience.

“I hope from the bottom of my heart that one day he’ll turn up. I go to church and pray every day so that we at least hear from him. I often feel his presence, but I know he’s not here”, wraps up Mrs. Anahit and suggests seeing the room where Aram’s belongings are kept. Nothing has changed there: his photographic devices, drum, favorite belongings and photos are all there.

On April 10, 2017, the RA Administrative Court, presided by judge K. Avetisyan, announced the judgment resulted from the examination of the claim of missing person’s mother Svetlana Sargsyan and her representative T. Siradeghyan, lawyer at Yerevan Office of HCA Vanadzor, against the RA Ministry of Defense.

The RA Administrative Court completed examination of the claim filed by missing person’s mother S. Sargsyan and her representative Tatevik Siradeghyan, lawyer at Yerevan Office of HCA Vanadzor, on restoring S. Sargsyan’s entitlement to pension for persons who lost breadwinner.

On November 14, 2016, the RA Administrative Court, presided by judge K. Avetisyan, resumed examination of the case Svetlana Sargsyan v. RA Military Registration and Enlistment Office and RA Defense Ministry. Note that the previous pre-trial court hearing on this case was postponed by the Court’s ruling based on the fact that the Court compelled defendant RA Military Registration and Enlistment Office to provide evidence.

On October 25, 2016, the RA Administrative Court, presided by judge K. Avetisyan, carried on examination of the case Svetlana Sargsyan v. RA Military Registration and Enlistment Office and RA Defense Ministry. Note that at the previouspre-trial court hearing the Court compelled the representative of the RA Defense Ministry to provide certain clarifications and the court hearing was postponed on these grounds.

In 1982, August 30 was for the first time declared in Latin America as the International Day of Missing Persons. Today, this day is marked not only in Latin America but also in many countries around the world. In the 3 countries of the South Caucasus, the International Day of Missing Persons was first marked simultaneously in 2004, by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly offices in the South Caucasus in the cities below: Yerevan, Vanadzor, Stepanakert, Baku, Ganja and Tbilisi.

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office carries on collecting data about the missing persons, prisoners of war and those who perished during the hostilities of April 2016 as well as the causes and circumstances of their death and missing.

For both Azerbaijani and Armenian peace activists, the resumption of fighting over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh last week meant a severe test of their stated commitment to peaceful conflict resolution. Now, with calls for retribution running strong on both sides, many question whether the differences between the two countries can ever be bridged.